Walk a Little Straighter, Daddy
by not done baking
Summary: SongFic. HermioneDraco, not nessacarily romantic. An exploration of the LuciusDraco fatherson relationship. Harsh language.


**_Walk a Little Straighter, Daddy_**

**_Author's Note: _**Okay, in this fic Hermione and Draco are just really good friends. Picture _Will & Grace _without the gayness!

**_Disclaimer: _**I don't own the characters JK Rowling owns those and the song is owned by Billy Cunningham.

**_Warning: _**There is harsh cussing at the end of this fic! You have been warned.

**_Walk a Little Straighter, Daddy_**

**_a ficlet_**

**_By: Samantha _**

"Please don't go, Draco!" Hermione held tightly to his arm and tried her best to drag him back into the apartment the two shared in the city.

"I have to," Draco said, pain in his eyes for hurting his friend.

"Why?" tears forming in her eyes.

"Because, it's what is expected of me. I have to!" his face was firm as stone; he was determined to not get emotional. Emotions were a bad ting for a Death Eater.

"You don't have to get the Dark Mark! Please, Draco."

"I don't have much of choice here, Mione," the pain of the nickname that only Draco could call her struck her deep: her best friend was going to give himself over the dark side, "Mione love," he took her chin in his hand and looked her deep in the eye, "I know how much it pains you and it pains me so much, but I have to. Otherwise I could die."

"Who's gonna be here to tell me I'm a know-it-all?" Hermione asked, desperate to keep him here.

"You already know that," Draco said, laughing just a little. But nothing could lighten the harsh reality of the situation.

"Well, who's gonna be here to hold me during a thunderstorm?"

"Mione," Draco shook his head, a smile on his sad face, "Here," he walked over the bookshelf and picked up the large stuffed snake that he had won for her at the fair.

**_"You've never been to a carnival?" Hermione asked in amazement._**

**_"No, I haven't. Remember where I grew up."_**

**_"Mars, right, I forgot. But, you've never been to a carnival?" he shook his head, "No, wonder your so grumpy! You've never experienced true fun before! Come on, we have to go!" Hermione grabbed his arm and dragged him to her car._**

**_"Mione, you know how much I hate that contraption! Can't we just apparate?"_**

**_"Draco, don't be daft! A carnival is strictly Muggle, you just pop in, it would freak people out!" Hermione thought for a bit as she pulled on her spring coat, "In fact, give me your wand."_**

**_Draco grabbed the waist line of his pants and messed with his buckle, "If you wanna-"_**

**_"Your _**magical** _wand, not your _**other** _one."_**

**_Draco looked at her as if she had grown an extra head, "But-"_**

**_"Give it!"_**

**_Draco dug into his pocket, "Fine," he slammed the wand into her out stretched hand and pouted._**

**_"Now, be a good little boy and put your jacket on."_**

**_"Yes, Mummy," Draco said with a smirk on his voice._**

**_"It's loud here, Mione," Draco yelled over the noise. The fair consisted of the stereotypical carnival rides, food stands, games that would cheat you out of your money and people: lots and lots of people. People of different color and people of different tongue; German, French, Spanish and Italian._**

**_"Yeah, but isn't it fun?" Hermione had been dragging him around by the arm all night and Draco was getting tired._**

**_"Can we rest?"_**

**_"Oh, come on, Draco! Can't you endure it? I thought you were a wonderful Quidditich player? I guess everyone's right, Harry Potter is better then you…"_**

**_No matter how close of friends Draco and Hermione became there was one thing Hermione still couldn't get away with: comparing him to Harry Potter._**

**_"Excuse me?" Draco nearly growled, "What do you mean by that?" a nasty tone in his voice._**

**_"Well, I was just saying that maybe your to _**weak**_ to handle this," Hermione said, knowing full well that she was provoking him._**

**_"Wha- I never- I never meant that we should stop. I was just saying that-"_**

**_"Un huh," a smile slid onto her face and lit it up, "Oh, Draco! This was my favorite game when I was little. I was terrible at it thought," they stood and watched the people spray water into a cardboard cut out of a clown._**

**_"See, what you do is you use the water gun to spray water into the clown's mouth, whoever reaches the top of the water tank first wins and gets to pick out a stuffed animal. I never won anything, though."_**

**_Draco had an idea, "That's gonna change," he said determinedly. He sat down on a stool, "Come here," he gestured to his lap. Hermione raised an eyebrow, "Your gonna win something!"_**

**_'Aww, what's there to lose?' Hermione sat down on his lap as Draco put money down on the counter, two other people sat down and picked up on the water funs._**

**_"On your marks, get set, go," Draco pressed down on Hermione's finger and water sped out of the gun right into the clowns mouth. Water flew up to the top of the tank and moments later a bell was rung, "And the prize goes to this lovely couple right here."_**

**_"Oh, we're not a coup-"_**

**_"Pick you're prize, Mione love."_**

**_"That one," Hermione pointed to a green and silver snake._**

**_"Aww, Slytherin colors," Draco whispered into her ear._**

**_"What should I name him?"_**

**_"Slytherin."_**

**_"That's silly! How about… Draco Jr.?" _**

**_"Sounds good."_**

"Draco Jr. will!"

"But- but" he put a finger over her mouth to quiet her. He looked down at his watch.

"Let me tell you a story," he pulled her over to the long couch and sat down on it, pulling her down on top of him, "My dad was my hero, he ignored me, never paid much attention to me, but he was my hero."

_I remember looking up to look up to him,  
and I remember, most the time he wasn't there.  
I'd be waitin' at the door when he got home at night;  
he'd pass me by to go pass out in his chair._

"Always the same. But, even so, he was my hero. I wanted to be just like him. In every single way."

**_Five year old Draco Malfoy played in foyer of his grand mansion; he was waiting for his father to come home from his long day at the Ministry. Draco didn't know much about his job, but he knew that it made his Daddy tired and grumpy. This seemed to end in him drinking a lot and being mean. Draco bounced a red ball on the marble floor while he watched the grandfather clock across from him tick and tock its way to the seven and twelve.  
Needless to say as the clock hit the seven and twelve he heard the sound of his fathers popping noise as he apparated onto the front porch, he heard the heavy footsteps of his fathers large, dragon hide boots as he made his way to the large oak door. Draco gathered the ball in his hands and ran to open the door for his father, "Daddy, your home!"_**

**_Lucius looked irritably at his small son, the heir to his fortunes, "Draco, please get out my way. I have had a long and hectic day and I don't want to be bothered by anyone."  
Narcissa's quick and light steps could be heard down the hall way, as she made her way to greet her husband. She gave him a kiss on the lips, Draco had a sour look on his face, "Yuck!"_**

**_"Draco, please go away, your mother and I are trying to have some time alone."_**

**_"Dear, can't you be nicer to Draco," Narcissa said, as if Draco wasn't there._**

**_"I just want to show him the harsh realities of the world, when our son goes out into the world I don't want it to bite him in the ass!"_**

**_"Darling, not in front of Draco."_**

**_"Draco, why don't you go play in your room. I'll come in and tell you a good night story," Lucius, trying to keep his voice even with feigned patience. _**

**_"Daddy," Draco's face lit up, " Will you tell me about the one with the dragon and the princess and-"_**

**_"Yes, now go play," Lucius looked back to his wife, he wrapped his long arms around her small waist, "Everything going fine."_**

**_"Of course," she said, rejoicing to be in his arms again. Lucius never held her like he did before the rise of Voldemort, Narcissa missed those days._**

_Seventeen year old Narcissa and eighteen year old Lucius sat in each others arms staring up at the sky._

_"Promise always to love me?" Narcissa asked Lucius, already knowing the answer._

_"Always."_

_Narcissa turned around and looked at him, "Promise we can always be this happy?"_

_"Of course, love," young Lucius bent down and kissed Narcissa fully on the lips, Narcissa wrapped her hands around his strong back._

**_"How was work, love?" Narcissa asked as she took his hand and led him to the family room. They down on the couch together and sat in each other's arms. 'Just like old times,' Narcissa thought happily._**

**_"Oh, a pain! But, the closer I get to the center of the Ministry the more help I can provide to our Lord," Lucius said, a greedy gleam in his eyes._**

**_"That's good. Really," Narcissa said, not even believing her own lie._**

_And I'd say: "Walk a little straighter, Daddy, you're swayin', side to side.  
Your footsteps make me dizzy, and no matter how I try, I keep trippin' an' stumblin'.  
If you'd look down here, you'd see: Walk a little straighter, Daddy, you're leading me."_

"Remember when we graduated?"

"Of course," Hermione's eyes lit up, "I- I didn't see your father there, come to think of it."

"Of course you didn't."

**_Graduation Day. The most awaited day of the a students life was finally here for the Seventh Years at _****_Hogwarts_****_School_****_ of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Draco Malfoy was in his room that he shared with Hermione Granger, they were both the smartest students in their year and they were both speaking at Graduation. Draco stood in front of his mirror repeating his speech and fixing his hair, huge bats were persistently flying around in his stomach._**

**_Draco looked at his watch and then walked out and met Hermione at the entrance of the common room they had shared for the entire year. Over the past year they hadbecome friends and even applied and got accepted to the same University for Wizardry in _****_London_**

**_"You nervous?"_**

**_"Just a little," Draco responded._**

**_"Good!"_**

**_Draco shook his head at her bizarre way of thinking and continued out of the portrait to the Great Hall._**

**_"Well you go first," Draco said to Hermione, "Bad luck!" Draco said to her and Hermione walked up to the podium at the head of the Hall and got everyone's attention. Draco half listened to her speech; he had heard way to many times for his own liking._**

**_"And, now may I present, Draco Malfoy, our head boy for this year," Hermione ended her speech and everyone clapped politely._**

**_"Hello, as the Head Girl said my name is Draco Malfoy. School. We got through it. We survived!" applause was heard from the seventh years, "School has taught us _**so **_much, not only spells and potions, but a lot about life and how to deal with it. Everyone hear has experience something strange here."_**

**_"Paralyzing snakes!" a Ravenclaw yelled out._**

**_"Were wolf teachers!" a Slytherin shouted._**

**_"Yes, now that may be somewhat normal for our world, but not for a school. This school- these teachers, have taught us so much," Draco was searching the audience for his father, he couldn't find him, "And," he started to continue when he saw his father stumble into the room; he was drunk."_**

_He stumbled in the gym on graduation day.  
An' I couldn't help but feel so ashamed.  
An' I wasn't surprised a bit when he didn't stay,  
he stumbled out before they called my name._"

"But you still wanted to be like him?" Hermione asked, a bit confused.

"Not then, but by then it was to late. He had signed me up, so to speak, to get the Death Mark when I was ten and once you sign up for it you can't just with drawl from it. The Dark Lord doesn't work like that," Draco looked down at his watch, it was nearing midnight, and he needed to go, "I need to go, no Mione love."

"But- can't you just defy your father?"

"What? And be killed? Mione, I love you. And, I'm gonna try my gosh danged best to be there for you, if I can, but I can't do it if you are dead."

"How could you look out for me if your mission is to kill people like me? _To kill me?_" She wasn't sad anymore, she was angry.

"Mione, I don't want to leave you mad at me. Can't we just be happy?"

"Draco, think of it this way, do you want to turn into your father? What do you want your children to think of you? Good-bye, Draco. I love you, remember that. Remember that _someone _loves you, so not _all _of your heart is stone," she stood up and kissed him on the cheek and walked to her room and closed the door.

"I love you, too, Mione!" he yelled so she could hear him through the door. And with that, he left.

Draco walked into the cold crypt in the foggy cemetery, people in black robes with white masks stood around a tall throne that was sitting on top of a cement coffin. People in black robes stood behind the bowing people waiting to be initiated.

The person sitting on top of the throne spoke up, "You will each be called up one at a time and be told to do a task, this task determines the rank you will be in. If you do well then you will be higher up in the ranks, if you don't do the task well then you will be on lower end of the chain. If you fail to complete this task then you will killed. Slowly," he got out a list and read the first name.

"Draco Malfoy. Ah, your father has asked to over see your task. Sorry, it was a bit last minute." A screaming girl was dragged in front of him, a cloth bag was over her head, 'She has the same pj's as Mione…' the thought ran through his head, but he dismissed it as quickly as he had thought of it.

"What do I have to do?" Draco asked.

Voldemort's hand flew out and slapped Draco hard, "_Do not speak unless spoken to, you will learn that quickly_!" he roared, "You are going to kill her," Draco's eyes widened, "With out magic. Take the bag off."

Lucius took the bag off of her head and smirked at Draco, "Mione!" Draco said.

"You bastard. You fucking bastard," his voice wasn't outraged, more of in shock, his father never stooped this low, "How dare you ask me to kill my best friend," Draco said, not sure if he was directing it to his father or Voldemort.

"Your gonna do a lot of things you don't want to do, Draco. Why not start with this?"

"Never. You could never ask me to kill her."

"Draco, after you left they broke into our apartment and kidnapped me. But, Draco, just do it. I don't want you to die," Hermione said, fear, anger and tears in her eyes.

"Never," Draco growled to Voldemort, "_I will **never** kill someone and I will never join your army, ever!"_

"Draco, how dare you defy our Lord," Lucius pointed his wand at Draco, blood bubbled out of his mouth, Draco bent over as if punched in the stomach.

"I'm not, I'm defying you! How dare you think I would kill someone. I remember when I was younger, you were so mean to me" he wiped the blood off his chin, "_YOU HATED ME_," he yelled, "But, for some reason I still looked up to you, but I always wanted you to at least _like _me!"

_And I thought: "Walk a little straighter, Daddy, you're swayin', side to side.  
It's not just me who's watching, you've caught everybody's eye.  
And you're trippin' and stumbling.  
And even though I've turned eighteen, walk a little straighter,  
Daddy, you're still leading me."_

"You disgust me, I will kill you myself and your Mudblood friend," Lucius got out his wand.

"No, you won't!" Draco kicked Lucius' wand out of his hand and grabbed Hermione by her hand and dragged her off of her knees, "I hope you fuckin' burn in hell for this shit." He ran out of the crypt and into the graveyard, dragging Hermione behind him. Draco was trying to remember the way out of here, but couldn't. He didn't recognize any of the tomb stones, they were lost.

"Draco, I can't run anymore," Hermione said, gasping for breath.

"We have to," but even he was having a hard time breathing.

"I give up then," Hermione sat down and leaned against a gravestone.

"No, we'll just rest a bit," Draco sat next to her.

There was a long and uncomfortable pause.

"Why did you defy your father?"

"It's what you said. About my children."

"Do you hate him?

"No."

_The old man's still like he always was, but I love him anyway.  
If I've learned one thing from him, it's my kids will never have to say:  
Walk a little straighter, Daddy, you're swayin', side to side.  
Your footsteps make me dizzy, and no matter how I try, I keep trippin' an' stumblin'.  
If you'd look down here, you'd see: Walk a little straighter, Daddy, you're leading __me_."

Hermione smiled at Draco and rested her head on his shoulder and fell asleep.

To know one in particular Draco said, "_Yeah, walk a little straighter, Daddy,  
You're leading me."_

**_AN: Wrote this about three years ago, I finally got fed up with the major lack of reviews (2) and since I've been whoring reviews lately I thought I would republish this. I need a twelve step program for reviews.  
_**


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